7 Mistakes We Made on Our DCL Alaska Cruise
We just returned from our Disney Cruise Line Alaska sailing and had an incredible experience…for the most part. Not everything went quite according to plan or expectation, and we felt it might be worth touching upon some of the mistakes we made on our Alaska cruise.
This may seem like a ‘downer’ way to start coverage of our ultimate Disney Cruise Line bucket list itinerary, but we think it makes sense to begin here. Alaska cruise season just started, and we’ve already heard from several people via social media and the comments section here who are planning on doing the DCL Alaska itinerary this year. From a planning resource perspective, covering our gaffes first so others can learn from our missteps seems appropriate.
With that said, we had an incredible time on the cruise, and want to underscore that before boarding the complaint train. Also, for those who have asked, we do plan on doing a trip report for this cruise. However, our Norway Fjords Disney Cruise Line Report ended up being nearly 20,000 words with potentially useful information buried in odd spots, and I’m trying to avoid a repeat of that.
I’m well aware that not everyone is interested in reading our rambling anecdotes for those buried nuggets of useful info, so my goal is to write several stand-alone blog posts to supplement the DCL Alaska cruise report, which should also help keep it more concise and to the point. Hopefully.
Anyway, here are the 7 biggest blunders we made on our Alaska Disney Cruise Line adventure…
7. Too Small of a Budget
This might seem like an obvious one, as ostensibly, a larger budget is always a good thing. Many travelers think throwing more money at a trip is the easiest way to improve it, which is sometimes true. Generally speaking, we take the possibly contrarian stance that a tighter budget allows forces us to explore places, experience their true character, and see less-touristy things in the process.
That’s largely not the case in the ports on Disney Cruise Line’s Alaska itinerary. While these are charming and beautiful places with some incredible things to do, many of the highlights do not come cheaply. This was compounded by our experience that the walkable “downtown” areas of each port are incredibly touristy, and lacking in compelling cultural offerings. We did two pricey Port Adventures, but in hindsight, I wished we would’ve pulled the trigger on two more really expensive ones.
6. Not Getting a Verandah
In the past, I’ve been very adamant about verandahs being an unnecessary expense for us since we spend so much time outside the room. When it came to Alaska, I received plenty of pushback from commenters here and friends who had taken the cruise, many of whom highly recommended booking a verandah. We didn’t have a verandah on our Norwegian Fjords cruise and felt like we didn’t miss anything, so I ignored this advice.
We realized this was a mistake from pretty much the first night. With 2 days at sea plus 1 day going through an iceberg-filled fjord, we would’ve gotten plenty of use out of the verandah. Even on port days, it would’ve been great for whale watching. Instead, we ended up spending a lot of time up on the outdoor public decks. Much of that time it was windy, raining, or cold, and I would’ve rather been back in the room sitting down with a cup of coffee (this is the first of many remarks in this post that make me sound old). We stayed outside even in nasty weather because we felt a sense of obligation to be outside of the room since we spent so much money on the cruise.
5. Not Enough Nice Attire
We used to be stylish. We really did. Our fashion sensibilities have “evolved” from trim oxfords and slacks for me and colorful dresses for Sarah to a surplus of athleisure wear. The percentage of spandex in my clothing has increased by an alarming rate, and my level of excitement over “discovering” elastic-waist khaki shorts last year is probably cause for concern.
Along these lines, there were a few too many casual evenings aboard this cruise and innumerable occasions when we didn’t want any photos of us because of this. Now, I’m not suggesting that we should’ve donned runway couture or turned every evening into formal night, but some classier outfits would’ve been a good idea in hindsight. Plus, what better occasion to bust out my formidable collection of dope dad sweaters?! (I may not be stylish, but my Fair Isle game is pretty strong, if I do say so myself.)
4. Too Much Hiking
Over the course of our 3 days in port, we did 4 hikes. We love to hike so this was one of the reasons we wanted to go to Alaska in the first place, and we enjoyed each of these hikes. They were all unique from one another and very memorable hikes, but there were still a couple of big downsides.
First, these hikes came at the expense of other Port Adventures that we had to forgo (read: that we were too cheap to pay for) that I think would’ve been truly awesome–and better than hiking. Second, so much hiking left us exhausted. I think I stayed up past 10 p.m. only a few times over the course of the entire cruise. (In my defense, I was up by 6 a.m. every morning, but still.)
3. Not Renting a Wildlife Lens or Binoculars
I’ve gone hiking in the mountains of California, Montana, and Canada in wildlife-dense areas and have seen and photographed a ton of animals in the past. Because of that, it seemed like an unnecessary expense and extra weight to pack a wildlife lens. I figured I couldn’t do better than past bear and mountain goat photos I’ve captured and I figured the odds were stacked against good whale photos.
What I didn’t expect was so many seals on icebergs and bald eagles. Seriously, it’s like bald eagles are the pigeons of Alaska. They were everywhere. On the way to one Port Adventure, we saw two fields with–literally–hundreds of bald eagles just chilling on the ground. (It was a surreal sight and it almost looked like they were building an army to rise up against the humans.)
2. Insufficient Time in Vancouver
Far and away, Vancouver was the best port city of the cruise, but we only had 2 full days there. It’s rugged yet cosmopolitan, and has a surplus of excellent food, great culture, exceptional public spaces, and picturesque natural scenery. It’s also compact and walkable, with efficient public transportation to the extent that it isn’t walkable.
Even after our brief time in Vancouver, it jumps to the top of my list of the best Pacific Northwest cities, above Seattle, Portland, and Victoria. Two days was not nearly enough, and I’ve already made an Airfarewatchdog alert for cheap flights to do another long weekend in Vancouver.
1. Not Enough Ice Cream
Truly a perpetual mistake, as no matter how much ice cream you have, it is never enough. However, on this cruise, I did an especially pathetic job, only having three soft serve cones over the course of the entire cruise. How do I go on calling myself an ice cream aficionado after such a sad showing?!
It seemed like whenever I passed Eye Scream Treats, it was closed. Morning or night, it didn’t matter. I think it was just poor timing on my part, but perhaps, unbeknownst to me, there’s a soft serve shortage that is wreaking havoc upon the Pacific Northwest.
Okay, so that last one is a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to get this list to 7 and I couldn’t think of much else. We arguably went too early in the season, but no matter when you cruise to Alaska, there are compromises. On balance, I’m pretty happy with what we experienced versus what we missed (and also visiting during the relative ‘off-season’), so it’s tough to call that a mistake. In any case, I think for the next post, we’ll shift to highlights of our Alaska cruise, as that seems like the most natural counterpart to this, even if it does act as a “spoiler” to the trip report. Look for that post over the weekend!
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Your Thoughts
What’s your take on our mistakes? If you’ve cruised to or visited Alaska, what mistakes do you feel you made? Any questions for those taking or considering an Alaska cruise? Any future topics you’d like us to tackle? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We have cruised Alaska twice–once as a cruise tour—-latter part of June and lasto of the season/repositioning cruise in mid-September. Both were enjoyable but the weathet was better (and warmer) in June.
Everyone has his/her choices for excursions but if calling at Skagway I would recommend the White Pass and Yukon narrow gauge railway. The scenery is spectacular and youi will have once in a lifetime photos/videos.
Went last July out of Seattle. Stayed in hotel first night,excellent. Trip amazing . Dog sled, went on glaciers, train ride . Been to all the tropic isles ,a beach girl. Swam in pool , because I can. SO MANY CLOTHES but we were dressed for everything. Bring light clothes n winter . Layer, layer
Could you go into further detail about the pros/cons of going early in the season vs later? Maybe in a later post?
BTW that is a pretty amazing sweater.
Yes, I have the same question about that! what’s the difference in going in late/early in the seasons vs. the middle?
I’m sure one of the upcoming blog posts will address this, but my big questions: If you were only going to do ( or re-do) one, would you pick Norway or Alaska?
So, I’m curious about the veranda decision. Had you gotten one, how much time do you think you would have spent on it? I have no feel for how long a time you spend with amazing sights just outside the door vs. a pleasant view, but mostly water with land off in the distance. We hope to go sometime in the next few years (may or may not be on DCL, though we’d like it to be).
Averaged out, probably 3 hours/day on the verandah, I’d say. While land is often off in the distance (or not visible at all) there are a couple of things to keep in mind in addition to what I’ve already said. First, it’s possible to see whales at any point during the cruise, and there were regularly people up on the decks holding binoculars. Second, sunset is really late at night during these cruises (after 9 p.m. for the early ones and probably after 10 p.m. for the later ones). After dinner, we always waddled back to the room and put on the television while decompressing; it would’ve been nice to sit out at the verandah for a bit before bed. Unlike the Bahamas cruises, you could actually see something at night!
My mistake on my Alaska cruise / inland trip: Getting caught up in eagle watching hype. Turns out eagles are no longer endangered and pretty much can be found in every U.S. state. A week after I got back there was an eagle atop a tree in my yard in New Jersey.
Another mistake: only one excursion where they served you unlimited dungeoness crabs. Every excursion should have that. So good. So. So. Good.
Nice to meet both you and Sarah on the cruise.
Did you buy one of those knit hats? I love that souvenir!!
I think my biggest regret/mistake was going too early in the season. I chose that date because it was convenient for work but also because it was the cheapest DCL Alaskan cruise (although the last cruise of the season was also the same price, but similarly that would have been too late in the season).
I feel your pain. We went on out first disney cruise in April and I got soft serve only ONCE on our 3-day trip! Was kicking myself the moment I disembarked. It is so easy to forget it is there… Suffice to say I am planning to set a daily ice cream alarm on my phone for our next cruise. Never again will I miss out on that swirly icey dairy goodness!
I grew up in Alaska and find it hilarious that you’d think you’d need any more “dressy”clothes. Formal wear in Alaska usually involves jeans with no holes.
The dressy clothes are for formal nights on the cruise, not the ports. 😉
Lol wow.
I am so glad you said that !! Comfort all the Way… I’m with you..Laid back Alaska.. I am not going to buy any new cloths for sure
Love these tips! I’d like to know the excursions you passed on that you wish you had done. Can’t wait to read more about this trip!
I want to know which ones you wish you’d done too!!
My cousin lives in Juneau and each year the cruise lines add cruises earlier and later in season. The weather is just not that great early or late in season. She. Always feels bad for the passengers who assume if it’s scheduled the weather is good. Alaska’s wildlife and scenery is extraordinary and the excursions if chosen carefully are well worth it.
My family went on the DCL Alaska cruise a few years ago in July. The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny that year. The cruise line tries to get us to book a suite with a veranda to fit all 5 of us, but we opted for two inside rooms which was cheaper. The families who rented the suites complained the sunlight woke them up at 4:30 each morning. As my family was on a budget, we mostly planned our own hikes during stops. We only booked 1 excursion- the whale watching and trip to Mendenhall Glacier which included lunch. (Be careful to check if the excursions include lunch/ food especially if you have kids, as many don’t). On the way to the docks, we saw bald eagles covering everything in sight. (We packed our own binoculars.) The whale watching cruise was fantastic! We watched humpback whales catch fish using a technique called bubble netting that we had only seen on Nat. Geo. One humpback even swam under our boat. Unfortunately, we were only able to spend 1 hour at the glacier, but the kids and my husband were still hyped over the whales so it wasn’t that bad. In Ketchikan I took the kids around town on a trolley ride that only cost $1 and whose driver narrated the entire trip. We went to a totem pole museum and explored around town. My only complaint is that after the show and dinner, there is nothing to do on board ship at night. We spent a week in Vancouver before the cruise exploring Storybrook (Once Upon a Time), a suspension bridge and other popular areas. Although we didn’t max out on the extra excursions, my family enjoyed the cruise immensely
“On the way to the docks, we saw bald eagles covering everything in sight.”
That was exactly our experience returning from the dock in Juneau–it was surreal!
Thanks for the feedback on whale watching. We had heard very hit or miss things about that excursion, and we have decent (but not nearly as good as what you describe!) whale watching in SoCal, so we opted to skip that. Now you’re making me rethink that decision–your experience sounds amazing!
I would have cancelled the hiking trips after the second one. You didn’t have to go. I think your expectations were too high especially as a cruise passenger. You’re just passing through so the full cultural experience can’t be had if you living in the ship. I already think you’re spending too much for a Disney cruise. Did you at least get an ocean view? It doesn’t cost much to bring your own binoculars and I own 2 that I hardly ever use so thanks for the advice. Bringing formal clothes doesn’t cost you extra. Should have followed your own packing list or update it now.
What the heck…
Trevor, if that’s what you got out of the post, respectfully, you didn’t read it very well.
It’s pretty clear that they enjoyed the trip, but are making suggestions to help others who are planning DCL crusies to Alaska. That’s kinda the whole point of the blog 😉
What’s your problem Robert?
I read they had an “incredible experience” and an “incredible time” between saying this post is a downer, and they blundered, made mistakes, and perpetual mistakes.
Then he asked for our thoughts. That’s another mistake, right Robert? I think you didn’t read his post well at all. I responded to what he posted. I focused on his mistakes.
What’s your deal? Tom and Sarah work hard to help you (and if not you then the rest of us) have the best trips possible, giving us their advice. You didn’t have to read this and if you didn’t find it helpful then just keep it to yourself. This wasn’t a post on how they didn’t enjoy their cruise, it was a post to help people who might go on this itinerary have a better understanding of what to plan for. Maybe this is some bad joke by a friend, but please don’t harass Tom and Sarah. They deserve respect.
“best trips possible“
Huh? This is exactly the problem. It’s a vacation. Vacations are not perfect. Expectations were too high. I read it respectfully and felt it was 7 complaints about how their trip was ruined. They were disappointed from their own trip and it was their loss.
I don’t think they are disappointed with their trip or that their “vacation was ruined”. If that’s what you got out of reading this, I suggest reading it again. Tom expressed numerous times that it was an excellent cruise, but these are things they could’ve done – that they are suggesting readers could do – to make the most out of an experience that is already expensive. I think it is incredibly kind that they took their time to write out some suggestions to improve an Alaska cruise so that readers will be able to consider what to pack or alternative port excursions.
I’m curious to know which expensive port adventures even Frugal Tom wishes he would have splurged on?!
In Skagway, I wish we would’ve done this: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/skagway-alaska-dog-sledding-glacier-flightseeing/
I would do that over the Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sledding because I found there to be more to do in Juneau than Skagway, and also other interesting ways to experience Mendenhall Glacier. Obviously, it’s impossible for me to say which experience is “better” since I did neither, but that’s my rationale.
In Ketchikan, this one: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/ketchikan-alaska-exclusive-flightseeing-and-crab-feast/
It’s easy to Monday morning QB our decisions not to do either Port Adventure. Had we done those, it’s entirely possible I’d be looking back now in hindsight sick about how much we spent, wishing we had not done them.
I looked at those prices. Ouch.
This is great!! Which port adventures would you like to have spent your money on if you had to do it again? This is on my bucket list as well but we’re waiting for our kids to get a little older so that they could do more port adventures on this trip.
I did the Eastern cruise on the fantasy. I found that I had way too many clothes and I had five soft serve ice cream cones.
I’m glad to hear that you had a good trip overall & that you loved Vancouver! We’ve had a record dry month in May & lovely temperatures (above average for the month), so you saw some sunshine I trust! Can’t wait to hear where you stayed & ate & all that good stuff. And of course looking forward to the follow up posts! Cheers.
Thanks, Tom. My wife and I are doing the cruise next month and I really appreciated your thoughts. It looks like we will avoid most of the mistakes you made. We are fighting over the binoculars and after reading this, I think my wife will win out. LOL.
Any suggestions for dressing for the changing weather? I hear layers is the way to go.
Thanks again,
Dave
We also are doing an Alaska cruise at the end of this month (although not on Disney). I would love a post about packing tips as I’m struggling to know what to take.
There’s a section in our Norway Cruise Guide that covers some packing tips; those tips are equally pertinent for Alaska. Search for GORE-TEX and you’ll see it. https://www.disneytouristblog.com/norway-cruise-planning-guide/
Not mentioned there, but something I’d also recommend softshell hiking pants that are water-resistant (GORE-TEX is overkill) or quick-drying…these should have spandex in them (yeah, yeah). Even if you don’t plan on hiking, these are a better option for the ports than jeans because you’ll end up wet all day if you just wear jeans. Good pairs of these aren’t cheap, but REI stores should have some that are under $100.
We just booked Alaska for Sept 2019 so this is helpful. Glad we splurged for the verandah, and we’re talking about excursions and trying to save for those as well because so many things sound amazing. It’s good to know about the hiking and the weather on the outside decks. Do you have a wildlife lens you recommend? I love wildlife photography.
Oh, and not enough ice cream was also a major regret on my last Disney cruise. I think the one thing Carnival did better than Disney was having the ice cream open 24 hours 😉
Ditto to what you posted, especially about add as much to your budget as possible. We were on the DCL Alaska Cruise in August, 2015 and knew going in that it was probably a once in a lifetime trip for us. As a result, we went all out on excursions including a float plane up into the Tongass National Forest and a helicopter ride to go dog sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier. It was definitely a budget buster but was worth every cent.
Yeah, Alaska cruises sure ain’t cheap. One potential money-saving tactic is to book excursions directly through the tour operator rather than through the cruise line. On our most recent Alaska cruise, we wound up being in the same group as people who booked what wound up being the exact same experience through the cruise line, but we paid 20-25% less per person. In another port, we booked again through the private operator, and we shared transportation with people who booked through the cruise line. But when we reached the marina for the whale watching tour, the group that booked through the cruise line all got on one boat (about 40-50 people), and those of us who booked directly with the tour operator got on another one (only 10 of us). And again, we paid about 20% less for what we would guess was a better experience.
100% this!!
There are some great local vendors who run smaller more intimate and cheaper tours. Cruise critic is your friend here for recommendations.
It’s all well & good to book local, less expensive excursions, but, be aware that any cancellations, issues, late arrivals back to the ship, accidents, etc…are on you. I’ve been on several cruises and seen the ship leave people behind who were on local excursions. Heard horror stories of poor, inaccurate tours. The cruise line excursions are “guaranteed” by the line. You won’t be left behind if late, you can be reimbursed for cancellations. The extra cost to me is like travel insurance. BTW, I don’t work for any of the excursions, ships, etc. Just my personal experience.
Good points all around. I think it’s also worth noting that even with third parties, several of the more popular excursions are still VERY expensive. It shaves some money off the price, but they’re still expensive.
Another thing is that there are port excursion options that last for a few hours in the morning or middle of the day…with the ship leaving at 7 or 8 p.m. That would be a more than sufficient buffer in the event of delay. At 2 of the Alaska ports, you’d have time for 2-3 excursions if you really wanted to push it. In hindsight, I’d definitely do 2 excursions in Skagway, which would still leave a couple of hours for on-our-own exploration.
I’m not suggesting you take random tours that are being hawked when you walk off the ship. If you take the time and do the research, you can find lots of reputable local vendors who have sterling reputations. These people survive by the word of mouth of cruise ship passengers. They aren’t taking chances about getting you back on time. I feel like it is a cruise ship scare tactic to make you think every one else is substandard and irresponsible compared to the people they use. It’s just not so.
Forget the short blog posts. We want our 20,000 word adventure. We all live vicariously through you, Tom.
Ha! You’d think my rambling style would be pretty simple to write in a hurry, but the trip reports are also a *huge* chore to create; that plays a role in my attempt to make them more concise, too.
Agreed! I love the longer trip reports!